Quotations

‘‘As Christians, our desire for just and compassionate immigration reform is driven by biblical principles, understanding that each person is created in the image of God, implying dignity, value, and worth…’’ 

SHIRLEY HOOGSTRA, President, CCCU

‘‘We need to realize when we are reaching out to immigrants and refugees, Jesus’ image, God’s image, is reflected in these individuals…If we’re followers of Christ, there’s a responsibility to engage in a theological and missiological conversation and demonstrate in our faith and our inter-actions what it means to really follow Christ in the fullest way by serving immigrants and refugees.’’ 

JENNY YANG, Vice President of Advocacy and Policy, World Relief 

‘‘Scripture teaches us to balance respect for the rule of law with advocacy for more humane and just laws that defend the widow, orphan and stranger. As evangelicals, we can do both; it is not an either/or proposition.’’

GABE SALGUERO, President, National Latino Evangelical Coalition

“The church must always show compassion, always… A good Samaritan doesn’t stop and ask the injured person. ‘Are you legal or illegal?'”

RICK WARREN, Senior Pastor, Saddleback Church

“Why is immigration policy important to evangelicals? Certainly because we believe what the Bible teaches about treatment of ‘aliens in the land.’ It is also because so many Hispanic, African and Asian immigrants are evangelical Christians who are in our denominations and churches by the millions. They are us.”

LEITH ANDERSON, Former President, National Association of Evangelicals

“86% of the immigrant population in North America are likely to either be Christians or become Christians. That’s far above the national average…The immigrant population actually presents the greatest hope for Christian renewal in North America…This group that we want to keep out is actually the group we most need for spiritual transformation… We shouldn’t see this as something that threatens us. We should see this as a wonderful opportunity.”

TIMOTHY TENNENT, Missiologist & President, Asbury Theological Seminary

“Much has been written about the way that growing numbers of ‘millenials’ are walking away from the church. Yet while millenials are walking out the front door of U.S. congregations, immigrant Christian communities are appearing right around the corner, and sometimes knocking at the back door. And they may hold the key to vitality for American Christianity.”

WESLEY GRANBERG-MICHAELSON, Former General Secretary, Reformed Church of America

“While we must continue to send missionaries throughout the world, we must also recognize the Great Commission Opportunity that is present in Western nations. Something is missionally malignant when we ware willing to send people across the oceans, risking life and limb and spending enormous amounts of money, but we are not willing to walk next door and minister to the strangers living there.”

J.D. PAYNE, Missiologist, Samford University

“I would like to see us as a country find a way to provide for illegal immigrants to stay but still have them pay a reasonable penalty. Such a solution would give honor to the law and show mercy to the immigrants, whose situations are so varied and so many. It’s not an easy black-and-white, ‘they disobeyed, so get ’em out of here’ issue.’ There’s a lot of exploitation. We’ve benefited a lot from these people, etc.”

JOHN PIPER, Chancellor, Bethlehem Bible College & Seminary

“In term of the Great Commission, right here in our home, right here in the United States, right in our towns, we’ve never faced such a Great Commission responsibility. We have never faced such a Great Commission opportunity.”

ALBERT MOHLER, President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

These and other Evangelical Perspectives on Immigration represent one evangelical perspective on immigration—that of the author—and not necessarily the views of every member organization of the Evangelical Immigration Table or every signatory of the Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform.